I’m not suggesting that it’s blasphemous, but it is ironic – a symbol of self-indulgence meets the ultimate symbol of self-denial. Chocolate – that morsel of instant gratification, which prompted the sign “Give me chocolate and no one gets hurt.” The cross – one of history’s most brutal forms of execution, and Jesus’ perfect example of self-denying love.

In Psalm 16, David discovers joy in the Lord’s presence, and “eternal pleasures at your right hand,” because he’s made the Lord his refuge. Jesus discovered the same thing – “for the joy set before him, he endured the cross.”

So, go ahead and enjoy the chocolate cross (grateful to the Lord for taste buds), and remember that resurrection joy is not a result of indulging self, but denying self and knowing Jesus, who died and rose to give us the joy of his life!